Appearance: Slightly hazy golden blonde bodied beer with 2 fingers of head. Lots of lacing and good head retention. Great looking lager, I honestly cant remeber the last lager that i drank that looked this good. Seriously.

Smell: bright citrus and tropical fruits. A hint of bananas and fruitiness. Bready and yeasty notes too. Hints of garlic and onion.

Taste: Its a beer that is fairly balanced, but the hops tip the scale a bit more than malt profile. The beer is somewhere between mild to moderately bitter. Tropical fruits and floral hops are pretty big here. Also a touch earthy. Pine and citrus are abundant as well. Onions, garlic, and grassy hops seem to float around. Malts are fairly bready, but also grainy and cracker like. Mild lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: low end of a medium bodied beer. Moderately carbonated. The beer is really crisp and clean, yet it is also got a creamy and slightly resinous / oily mouthfeel. Carbonation is lively, but not prickly or ticklish. You would not think this beer is almost 9%, it drinks closer to 6% abv.

Overall: I have never had an Imperial Pilsner before. The hops dont really give this beer a chance to be a regular pilsner, but I dont care because this is a tasty beer. This is my second favorite Jack Abby's beer and they make some wonderful hoppy beers! i am impressed again by Abby Jack's. But Hoponius Union is still my favorite. You can think of Kiwi Rising as bigger version of Hoponius Union. My favorite aspect of this beer is how unique the hop profile is... its true unique. (1,691 characters)

T - Very fresh tasting, with lime, cantaloupe, kumquats, and a healthy dose of savory onion and garlic from the hops. The malt is super smooth and unobtrusive, while lending a cracker crispness and sugar cookie sweetness. Just a hint of bitterness on the finish, with lingering musky tropical flavor.

M - Has a bit of body to it, reminding you this is in fact a high-ABV beer. The moderate carbonation is just right.

O - A seasonal favorite, especially when enjoyed fresh. The piquant flavor from the hops is not for everyone, but the balance on this beer is superb. Worth getting at least one of each November, especially when your fridge runs dry of Heady Topper. (863 characters)

Slightly hazy, pale yellow pour, with a thin cap of bubbly white head that retained as a ringlet; light lacing. Grassy aroma, pine needles, distant biscuity malts, pretty stale overall. Major vegetal hop bitterness in the taste, the bitterness nearly blasting out all flavor and complexity in the brew; grass and pine-scented cleaner, ammonia, herbal tea. Body was light and watery, like lagery, but not fleshed out enough with malts to compensate for the overblown hop profile, and the higher almost soda-like carbonation wasn't helping either. "Messy" I guess is a good way to describe the beer. Between the people fawning over this when it was shared, and the high ratings it seems to get...I'm simply confused. (714 characters)

Lagers get a bad reputation in our world, but this lager was done right! I am telling you this is a fantastic and very drinkable beer. This sucker is 8.5 % and you do not taste the alcohol. Be careful with this one!

Look: Hazy hay yellow. Nice head retention looks like a lager, but this one is a bit thicker and hazier than the rest.

Smell: You get some hops in there, sweet grassy nicely balanced.

Taste: This is a solid beer people, don't discount the lager, it gets no respect in the world of sours, stouts and IPA's but this one is flavorful. Its has a nice malt backbone, not too sweet, but the Kiwi hops they use up the ante on this one. Its very well balanced. Almost like a perfectly balanced ale really but with a better mouthfeel!

Overall: This is a great beer, you cannot taste the alcohol which can get you into trouble with too many of them. The hops balance it out and its got an intensity to it. Almost like an IPA and lager but too balanced to detect a difference. I have two of these and I am happy I got this on a trade from a good friend in RI. If you can get your hands on this beer buy it or trade for it! (1,132 characters)

Bottle into pint glassA: Pours a golden yellow with a one knuckle head. Head doesn’t dissipate. Decently cloudy and some excellent bubbles coming up from the bottom.S: Hope, Lemon citrus and some small wheat notes. T: A nice overall hops profile up front pulling into a full bodies lager. Somewhat dry and stale on the end.M: lots of carbonation and some minor hop notes combined with a dry mouthful.O: Interesting, definitely good. I couldn’t drink a ton but very enjoyable especially with food. (505 characters)